Light Therapy

Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using various light sources. The light is administered for a prescribed amount of time and, in some cases, at a specific time of day.

Light therapy which strikes the retina of the eyes is used to treat circadian rhythm disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome and shift worker sleep disorder. It can also be used to treat seasonal affective disorder, with some support for its use also with non-seasonal psychiatric disorders.